Although the Allied nations faced the New Year of 1945 with a huge sense of hope, there was still a great deal of work to be done if world peace was to become a reality. Adolf Hitler and his Axis powers were finally facing defeat after seven years at war, but just like any wounded animal in the wild, they continued to pose a very real and dangerous threat.
Follow us onward into the history of WW2 in 1945 - and the end of the war.